Daily SumUp

The U.S. Senate voted 52-48 Thursday to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, where he will oversee the nation's largest healthcare programs including Medicare and Medicaid.

Sen. Mitch McConnell from Kentucky was the only Republican who joined Democrats in opposing the candidate, whom they see as an unqualified wildcard. 

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, has spent decades calling out industry influence over regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, and has brought attention to the role ultra-processed foods and chemical additives play in the chronic disease epidemic.